Gone Girl

By: Gillian Flynn

2012

Fiction

Subject Matter: Husbands; Married people; Wives; Crimes

Rating: 4/5

The book, the movie with Ben Affleck, those posts on Pinterest recommending “10 books to read if you loved Gone Girl” – Gillian Flynn‘s been taking pop culture by storm lately.

I’ll admit it: I saw the movie long before I read the book.

And I’ll admit this, too: The movie was a trip! I loved it. It scared me, it kept me engaged, Affleck ain’t bad to look at, it rocked me, it took me on a million twists. It was a trip.

So I added the book to my “To Read” list and kind of forgot all about it. Until now. I read the entirety of this book in one day at the beach.

I can honestly say that I am glad I saw the movie first. I have a terrible memory when it comes to endings, so it was about 3/4 of the way through the book before I remembered how it all shook down. But having some sort of idea about the plot line, some sort of warning, was super helpful. I wish I could’ve read the twists (or at least the major twist) as they came, but I’m glad I had a frame of reference, glad I could picture the too-perfect Amy, the all-American Nick.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past four years, Gone Girl is about a marriage gone seriously, seriously wrong. It’s about a young wife who goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, and the young husband who quickly becomes the primary suspect.

I re.fuse. to spoil this for anyone who doesn’t know what’s about to hit them. All I’ll say is that anyone willing can enjoy this book. My sister who steers clear of anything remotely scary (but don’t watch the movie, sis…). My old roommate who loves whodunnits. My brother-in-law who lives for plot twists. Me, who inhales anything to do with psychosis. Or my dear friend who just wants something well-written and engaging.

This book lives up to the hype for me.

*****

If you enjoyed the ride with Gone Girl, here are some books you might like: